A Wirral family will appear on BBC Children in Need tonight to reveal how their lives were turned around by the charity.

Paul Southall and his wife Karen live in Ellesmere Port alongside their four children.

Freddie, three, is profoundly deaf - just like his mum and dad.

Their nine-year-old son Bradley suffers with epilepsy causing him to have absence seizures, which can kill him. This is a daily struggle for the family who cannot hear him having the fit or see him like they would a normal epileptic seizure.

They rely on Josh, who is fully hearing and plays an ‘incredibly important’ role in family life.

Tonight’s programme will feature the family and to introduce their feature Josh will be standing in a room alone, signing their story.

The 12-year-old said: “They’re going to have subtitles for hearing people as it is always the other way around when we watch TV.”

It will show how the families lives have been turned around by projects that CiN fund, such as the Deaf Support Network, which the Southall family were referred to after moving back to Wirral from London.

The bluetooth hearing aid that has made a difference to their lives. Photo by Ian Cooper

Paul said: “DSN helped us to settle in and without their support we wouldn’t be where we are today.

“The charity are teaching us how to sign with each other and our whole family life has changed and developed.

“At home it was chaos, the kids were climbing up the walls and everybody was shouting, getting upset with each other because we couldn’t fully communicate but it has got a lot better.”

The dad-of-four says he personally has become more confident and has even joined a wheelchair basketball team - Cheshire Phoenix.

He said: “Within four months I went from someone who had never played sport to the first team. I’m actually trying to raise money for a bespoke wheelchair to play in at the moment.

“All the motivation has come from the support team at DSN. I came out of my depression thanks to them. In London we didn’t go out - now, nothing can stop us.

“To be honest, the support has meant we have been able to give the kids a life after school that we were never able to do before. It is wonderful.”

He plans to take the family camping in six months time.

Paul says that Josh’s role in family life is ‘massive’.

For example, the only signs Paul has to go on with Bradley’s seizures are if Josh alerts them or following the episode when Bradley becomes very upset as they only last around 15 seconds.

And when Karen went in to labour 11 months ago with baby Amelie, Josh had to phone an ambulance speaking to paramedics about what to do and to get them to come to the house.

To find out more about their story and how DSN changed their lives tune in to BBC One this evening.